Europe – Page 3 – Chow Bella

Sorrento Sirens are Calling

Posted on December 16, 2018May 10, 2019 by ChowBella

We read fantasy to find the colors again, I think. To taste strong spices and hear the songs the sirens sang.
George R. R. Martin

Everything that George R. R. Martin describes as “fantasy” is how Sorrento looked and felt to us. Colors pop up during the day at the fishermen’s buildings. At night, the city is aglow with Christmas lights. Sorrento is the place to let your taste buds be your guide, where you can eat some of the best pasta (at least in our opinion), sip on bright limoncello, and go on a culinary cooking adventure. End your stay by taking in the sounds of the streets and the music blaring on the balcony square. What better place to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary?

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Castello di Limatola Christmas Market

Posted on December 2, 2018May 10, 2019 by ChowBella

Huge knots of seaweed hung upon the jagged and pointed stones, trembling in every breath of wind; and the green ivy clung mournfully round the dark and ruined battlements. Behind it rose the ancient castle, its towers roofless, and its massive walls crumbling away, but telling us proudly of its own might and strength, as when, seven hundred years ago, it rang with the clash of arms, or resounded with the noise of feasting and revelry.
Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers

Charles Dickens describes a castle in ruins, but imagines it in its prime. That is how I felt when we arrived at the Limatola Castle, about a 45 minute drive north of Naples. The stones of the castle are now discolored and covered in moss, but it was still easy to imagine what it would have looked like during the medieval period as it towered over the surrounding town. I can see why it has become a popular backdrop for weddings, a destination for travelers to stay (I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend the night in a castle?!), and the venue for the incredible Limatola Christmas Market.

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Wine and Dine with Mount Vesuvius

Posted on November 25, 2018May 10, 2019 by ChowBella

Wine is the only artwork you can drink.
Luis Fernando Olaverri

Wine is such a complex beverage. Not only do you need the right ingredients, but the process, the soil, and the climate are also very important to find just the right balance. It was Luis Fernando Olaverri that said, “Wine is the only artwork you can drink.” Just like a painter uses a paper and a brush to pull colors onto a blank canvas, so does a wine drinker use his glass and hand to swirl the wine in the glass to pull out all of the aromas and flavors. When you look at a painter’s work, you notice visually if the artwork used light colors or dark colors. When you look at wine, you notice the shades of a bianco (white) or rosso (red). A painter uses different colors and strokes to accent the painting. A wine drinker uses his nose and the palate on his tongue to catch all of the different flavors to really enhance the experience.

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Deck the Halls with Salerno Christmas Lights

Posted on November 24, 2018May 10, 2019 by ChowBella

To love beauty is to see light.
Victor Hugo

During the Christmas holiday, you always expect to see Christmas trees, ornaments, Santa, reindeer, and the nativity scene. However, for me, the lights are the one element that really highlight the holiday season and magnify a Christmas tree or a house. Victor Hugo really says it best: “To love beauty is to see light.” At Christmas time, it’s the lights that heighten our visual senses and put a smile on our faces. Both Adam and I have great childhood memories of driving around different neighborhoods with our families just to see the lights on the houses. When we heard about the annual Christmas light festival in Salerno, Italy (a whole town decked out in lights!), we knew we had to see them.

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Naples: A Beautiful Woman with Dirty Feet

Posted on November 20, 2018May 10, 2019 by ChowBella

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.
Augustine of Hippo

As we made our way to our new home in Naples, Italy, I was reminded of one of my favorite travel quotes. “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page” by Augustine of Hippo. In college, Adam and I talked about all of our future goals and wishes. One goal was to travel and live abroad in Europe. We decided after many years together that it was finally time to pursue that goal which we first dreamed about 7 years ago. No more reading books or wishing to travel and live abroad. Adam got the amazing opportunity to work in Naples, Italy and we knew we had to jump on it. It was time for us to fill the pages of our story entitled “Living Abroad and Exploring Europe Together.”

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